Blyk will offer free, ad-supported, mobile phones by mid-2007
Remember when we posted about Google’s free ad-based mobile phone idea? Well it looks like Blyk will beat them to it. Marko Ahtisaari who is former Director of Design Strategy at Nokia, is now Blyk’s head of Brand and Design.
“Blyk is a pan-European free mobile operator for young people, funded by advertising. We’re launching first in the UK market in mid-2007, with other markets to follow.Blyk is an innovative mobile media channel for advertisers. We offer brands an opportunity for direct engagement with a young audience with real-time feedback.”
Blyk, co-founded by Pekka Ala-Pietilä, former president of Nokia Corporation, has been in development since January 2006 and is tying up partnerships with UK brands as I write this. Blyk will be launching first in the UK market in mid-2007, with other markets to follow. Additionally, they will be targeting the 16-24 year old demographic.
Via Smart Mobs
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[…] This is all coming together after Google CEO Eric Schmidt made this comment: “Your mobile phone should be free,” in November 2006. But Google isn’t the only one developing the idea of an ad-supported mobile phone, the UK-based Blyk said they would have one out by now, but has seen some delays. Who will get there first? And does it even matter since Google’s already well anchored in the consumer market? Related Posts Google Earth Updates and ImprovementsGoogle: Mobile Live Traffic UpdatesGoogle doing face recognition in Image Search right nowGoogle Desktop released for OS XHand Picked LinksGoogle: “Your mobile phone should be free.” Subscribe […]
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:46 pm